As I reported here 2 weeks ago,  the Obama administration appears to have found a new avenue to harass and intimidate Tea Parties, Liberty groups and those who oppose his *overreaching agenda*:  the IRS. The taxman cometh, not just for taxes, but for information. Intrusive information. Names of donors. Who your group associates with. Resumes of the board members. Extremely detailed information about every aspect of the organization.

The first Liberty Group to come forward was the Ohio Liberty Council, a coalition of Tea Parties and other Liberty Groups in Ohio who applied for 501(c)4 status 18 months ago. After not much thought after recently given only 2 weeks to comply with more onerous demands, OLC President Tom Zawiskowski sent a letter to the IRS telling them he would refuse to comply.

Little did Tom Z. know, after his denouncement of IRS demands, that he would open the floodgates and incite bravery into other Tea Parties facing the same demands. At first they came forward slowly. Next the Richmond Tea Party who had given over 500 documents to the IRS and they were still asking for more. Then the Waco Tea Party. Then Maui Tea Party.  Then Kentucky 912. Then suddenly there was a firestorm and the small, fledgling group I am proud to be a part of, was inundated with reports from Tea Parties from across the nation  facing the same “plight.”

And ain’t this special. Just about the time all these groups were coming forward, a group of radical  US senators decided to send a letter to IRS Chief Douglas Shulman asking for an investigation of 501(c)4 groups. The OLC has questioned the timing of the letter, excerpted below:

Columbus, Ohio, February 28, 2012 – The Ohio Liberty Council (OLC) today released a letter it has acquired in which seven liberal U.S. Senators are “urging” the IRS to “investigate” the “campaign activities” of 501(c)4 organizations, such as the Ohio Liberty Council and hundreds, if not thousands, of other TEA Party and other liberty groups across the nation. The letter claims these groups are “improperly engaged” in campaign activities. It is dated February 16, 2012, the same day that the Ohio Liberty Council issued a press release and made public a letter it received from the IRS improperly requesting proprietary, confidential and personal information about the activities of the OLC, its supporters, its member organizations and the attendees at its events.

Yes, it certainly does appear to be a coordinated attack on those who oppose Obama’s socialist agenda. But all is not lost, if fact far from it.

• We have defined a huge number of Tea Parties across the nation who are under the same duress and after a conference call with many of these groups tonight they were assured *you are NOT alone, safety in numbers and there is an army behind you.*
• Look for the leader of the Kentucky 9/12 to be on the Glenn Beck show tomorrow.
• We have defined the enemy which is the biggest part of the battle and we WILL NOT give up the ship.
• Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is well aware of the situation and he is investigating and may be calling for a Congressional review.
• Rep. Darrell Issa has been asked by Jamie Radtke, President Emeritus of the Richmond Tea Party to investigate.
• This “small blonde woman”  was able to personally shove herself politely through a crowd of about 1,000 and hand to the campaign manager of a presidential candidate  some information about this issue.So if there is no action, he can’t say he didn’t know about it.

And for those who might be speculating, although there is no concrete confirmation: an attorney who was on the call stated that Occupy Wall Street has been definitely using the cover of another 501(c)4 in their ominous adventures. No surprise if that is true. Another Tea Party group stated they have already sent over 1,000 pages of documents to the IRS and have spent about 250 hours in this process with no end in sight.

So the bottom line is, this will be a long haul. But this weary band of 6-8 people who started this fight 2 weeks ago has made amazing headway in my book. Just like George Washington, we have a strategy and we have entered the boat to cross the Delaware. Re-enforcements are on the way.

Crossposted at Unified Patriots